Writing my own little aside about reading this book for the, oh, sixth, time, I came across your blog. Love your post, and the sheepdog metaphor is not lost. I was thinking dancers and acrobats when I read it, and jazz. I love the chapter that opens with everyone humming 'Just one of those things'.
"In 1938, when Patrick Lewis was released from prison, people were crowding together in large dark buildings across North America to see Garbo as Anna Karenina. Everyone tried to play the Hammond Organ. 'Red Squads' intercepted mail, tear-gassed political meetings. By now over 10,000 foreign-born workers had been deported out of the country. Everyone sang 'Just One of Those Things.' ..."